Fly Tying Adhesives | UV Fly Finish, Epoxy, Head Cement, Dubbing Wax

Dave’s Flexament-Head Cement & Thinner

Hard As Hull Head Cement

Softex Fly Tying

Loon UV Clear Fly Finish

Loon UV Power Light

5 Minute Epoxy Z-Poxy

Zap-a-Gap Brush On Applicator

Loon Fly Tying Products
I’ve used Loon UV products for the last few years and have come to like them in certain fly tying applications. The fly finish is definitely the way to go for fly tying applications. Hit with the UV power light or direct sun it dries almost instantly and stays clear for sometime (more so than UV knot Sense). The best use is if the UV is to be applied all around the fly. It does have a tendency to peal however if you are using it as a shell back such as on a copper john. In these instances, I highly recommend using 5 minute epoxy.

What loon Says about these UV Products….

UV CLEAR FLY FINISH
UV Clear Fly Finish is for those who believe “five minutes to cure is five minutes too long.” No mixing or waiting is required, and it remains workable until exposed to direct sunlight or Loon’s UV lamps, at which point it will cure in a matter of seconds. Use it as an adhesive for eyes, a thick head cement, quick-building clear back for scuds, or instant repair for damaged flies.
FEATURES:
– Build fly heads and bodies
– Instantly cures with sunlight or UV light
– Needle tip included for precision tying

Z-Poxy (Five Minute Epoxy)
A little time intensive, but if you have a system Z-poxy is good for finish work on a number of flies. I like to use it for shell backs on flies such as a copper john. With the five minute, you are working with a five minute window as described by the name. The best way to use it effectively is to tie a dozen flies, then mix the two epoxies and coat the backs all at one time. This way you don’t have to remix another batch every time you finish a fly. If you’d like to coat more than a dozen flies, I’d suggest using a ten minute epoxy that will give you more time before the material hardens.

Zap-A-Gap & Brush Applicator
I like to use this super glue for underbody work but never finish work. For example, when I tie Clouser Minnows I will always put a drop of zap-a-gap on the eyes to lock them in place. I don’t like using it for finish work because it leaves a white residue on the thread finish work. I’ve also really come to like the zap-a-gap brush which is awesome for bonding pieces of foam.

Dave’s Head Cement By Umpqua
This has always been my go-to head cement in the rare event I actually use head cement. Easy to work with using a tooth pick to place a drop of head cement on the thread of your whip finish work. If it dries up in the bottle, use the thinner and the bottle is saved.

Loon Dubbing Wax
I’ve never been huge on dubbing wax unless the fly calls for a dubbing loop. I’ve had no problems with the loon dubbing wax in lo-tack for this purpose.

Softex
Softex is great for adhering pieces of rabbit together on flies such as a double bunny. It doesn’t dry ridged which is nice when you want the material being bonded to have movement in the water.

Hard as Hull
If you want your flies to dry with a shine, Hard as hull is the way to go. We like to use this on the head of tube flies. It also makes for very durable finish work.